The World’s First Cocaine-Serving Bar

“I loved when Bush came out and said, ‘We are losing the war against drugs.’ You know what that implies? There’s a war being fought, and the people on drugs are winning it.” —Bill Hicks

In A Nutshell

In the city of La Paz, Bolivia, there is a bar called Route 36 with an interesting distinction: It is the world’s first cocaine bar. Renowned for its purity, it attracts visitors from all over the world but is hard to locate because it often changes its location due to constant complaints from the neighborhood.

The Whole Bushel

Located in the South American country of Bolivia, La Paz is a popular sightseeing destination, located nearly 3,650 kilometers (12,000 ft) above sea level. Renowned for the mountains which are everywhere in sight, the city also has another dubious tourist trap. A bar known as Route 36 is located in La Paz and is the world’s first bar that exclusively serves cocaine.

While highly illegal, Route 36 has attracted a large number of tourists, from as far away as Australia. (When asked about particular customers, a worker named Roberto commented: “We had some Australians; they stayed here for four days. They would take turns sleeping and the only time they left was to go to the ATM.”) The club is open during the night and is constantly under fire from neighbors who complain about the noise and the fact they’re openly serving cocaine, which is illegal in Bolivia.

To combat the police, Route 36 constantly changes its address, with word of mouth spreading its new location each time. It certainly helps that Bolivia is slowly becoming a larger producer of cocaine, calling itself home to some of the largest cocaine factories. This local production enables Route 36 to offer its customers an unparalleled amount of purity and it charges $14 to $21 a gram, which is quite a lot less than it costs in other countries, like the United States.